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June 20,, 195@ HOD Filed. Oct. 22, 1948 w M ml /Mm m V 8 A ma m xiv m a w w a] a mw a I ll 4 w 0 mm 2 x 2 w 5 A\ QW I 9 6 2 V 1 0 w z a Patented June 20, 1950 UNITED S TATES NT OFF 1 CE HOD, 3 Thomas W. Lee, Silverton, Ohio Application October 22, 1948; 'Seria'l No. 55,946

3 Claims. (Cl. 29'41-69d' matic bottom discharge of its contents when lowered onto an irregular or a yielding mass, but which will not discharge its contents when lowered to a plane floor or like surfaces.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a bottom-dumping hod that prevents the sifting or spilling of small or powdered particles from the bottom until the discharge door is opened.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hod of the class described that facilitates the handling of stoker coal and other small sized materials since said hod constitutes a scoop means whereby it may be filled from a pile of coal'or the like without the use of a shovel, and allows the filled hod to be carried or to be rested on the floor without spillage of any of the fines or dusty particles and then emptied into a hopper or in another pile by merely lowering the hod to contact an irregularity within the hopper or pile and then withdrawing the hod to allow the contents to discharge through the open bottom.

These and other important objectsare attained by the means described herein and exemplified in the accompanying drawings. in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of a hod embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the device of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

The hod as exemplified in the drawings comprises a sheet metal body l0 formed in known fashion to tapered cylindrical shape and having a top bead H and a pair of bail mounting plates l2 secured at diametrically opposite sides whereby the hod is suspended from a suitable bail [3.

The bottom indicated generally as [4 may be constructed integrally with body H! as shown, or it may be separately formed and attached in any suitable known fashion. In either case the bottom M has a discharge opening it bounded by the spaced parallel bottom edges ll; of fiat convergently inclined portions H and I8, and by the edges [60 of narrow arcuate and inclined flange portions f9 and 20, which flanges connect 2 at. their "opposite ends with ends of edges l'6. This arrangement of portions ll, [8, l9 and 20 rovides, within the bottom interior of the hod, a series of inclined surfaces or facilitating complete-discharge ofthe contents of the hod through dischargenopenin'g I5, and 'on the outside bottom Of the h'o'd a similarly shaped seat for a discharge d'oor 2| which has an upwardly inclined peripheral flange consisting ofopposed ar'cuate portions Mandi straight opposed portions 23 and '24. Suitable-hinge means 25, attached in suitable fashion, serve to movably connect the portions 24 of the discharge door 21" with the fiat portion 18 oft-he bottom. M of the hod "on the exterior thereof so, that when the door is open and the hod I is elevated, the door may ultimately hang ennested position over the depending portions of the bottom surrounding opening 2| of the hod, and that the top: edge 26 of the door flange is disposed higher than the edges I6 and I6!) that bounddischarge opening l5. Thus closed, even the finest dust particles included in the contents of the-hod will not escape from the hod when the discharge door is securely closed.

onthe outside face of portion ll of the bottom Hi. there. is. secured a foot member 21, which isadapted on its inner face to serve as a latch keeper, for example as shown, an integral shouldered lug 28- may be provided for said purpose.

On the outside face of discharge door 2| there is provided a pairoi foot. members 29 and 30 which,.in conjunction with foot 27 providea three point support for the hod and serve to relieve the pressureof the weight of the contents of the hod whenit is rested on said. feet.

The feet 29 and 30 are herein shown as being part of a simple integral casting which includes a hand grip 3|, and a pair of bars 32 which extend in supporting relation across the bottom ofdoor 2i and are inclined toward each "other. and. then terminate in a pair of upturned and slightly spaced lugs 33 which support the inclined flange 23' at the free edge of door 2|.

The lugs '33 are drilled to receive a'pivot pin 34 which supports an L+shaped latch arm 35 that has a nose 36 adapted to engage the latch keeper 28 and retain the door 2 in closed position as shown in- Fig. 3.

integral brace 31 connects the bars 32 of the casting and prevents separation of the spaced lugs 33 in which the pivot pin 34 is supported. The casting is secured to discharge door 2| by screws 38 that are entered from the inside face of said door and fastened in threaded holes in the feet 29 and 30, and by another screw 38 which passes through door 2|, and brace 31 and pro- J'ects through the latter so that it serves as a depending pin on which a coil spring 39 is mounted so that the free end of said spring yieldably urges thelatch arm to pivot into position position.

4 for scooping the coal into the hod while the bail l3 guides the depth of the scooping action.

It will be noted that the bottom of the door 2| and of the hod do not become greatly soiled in use since these parts do not contact the coal during filling it as just described. In discharging the contents of the hod into a hopper the hod is desirably suspended from the bail l3, with the foot 21 disposed away from the user and the hand grip 3| closest to the user. When the hod is lowered and the latch released in the manner described, the subsequent lifting of the hod by said bail will allow the door to swing open on its The free end of arm 35 carries a plate 40 that.

is disposed intermediate the three supporting feet 21, 29 and and not below the bottom of said feet when the discharge door is closed. When the plate 40 is pushed upwardly toward the door against the resistance of spring 39 the nose 3B of the latch is disengagedirom keeper 28 and the door 2| may swingopen under its own weight or the weight of the contents of the hod when the hod is lifted'by the bail l3. This unlatching of the discharge door will be automatically effected if the hod is lowered in a place where the plate 40 may be engaged by any upstanding obstacle that enters the space between the three feet 21, 29 and 30 and effects the desired movement of the plate and its associated latch arm relative to the door 2| The incidental act of resting the filled hod on the floor or any relatively fiat and substantially unyielding surface will allow the door to remain in a latched position. The feet of the hod are of relatively small end section so that the weight of the filled hod is sufiicient to cause the ends thereof to sink into a mass of coal in the stoker hopper when the hod is lowered into the partly filled hopper, thereby assuring positive unlatching of the door as the coal contacts the relatively large and extended area of plate 40. If the hopper be substantially empty, the then exposed portion of the stoker feed screw can be caused to engage the plate 4|! on the hod and release the door 2|. The normal use and operation of the hod for filling a domestic stoker hopper will be detailed because the user often wishes to keep both the basement and his clothes free of the soil of coal dust.

With door 2| latched,the user grasps the bail |3 of the hod with one hand and thegrip 3| in the other hand and scoops the hod substantially full of coal from the coal pile.

If for any reason the door 21 is not initially closed and latched when the hod is lifted by the bail, a pressure on the hand grip will swing the door on its hinges 25 to a closedposition and the latch nose 36 will ride up over the inclined face of lug 28 on leg 2'1. Arm 35 moves on its pivot and compresses spring 39 until the door 2| closes the opening l5, and the inclined flange on the door nests over the complementary inclined portion of bottom I4 of the hod. Spring 39 then exerts its force to swing the latch arm in the opposite direction to engage the latch nose 36 above the shoulder at the top of the lug 28 and causes the plate 40 to take the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The foregoing closing and latching of the door 2| after discharging the contents is accomplished quite easily by merely pulling in opposite directions on the bail 3 and hand grip 3|.

After the door 2| is latched, they hand grip 3| is used to push the head all into a pile of coal hinges and the initial discharge of the contents will be in the direction of foot 21. As the hod is lifted progressively from the inside of the hopper the contents progressively pour out of discharge opening I 5 with a minimum of scattering of dust. The door 2| will finally hang vertically from its hinges 25 entirely clear of opening I5 and even the lighter and finer dust particles will slide from the inclinedinside peripheral face of the door flanges. The hand grip 3| and the bail l3 have both avoided contact with the coal in this normal use of the device so that soiling of the hands of the user is thus unlikely under the circumstances described.

The device may be advantageously used for various tasks that involve the handling of grain, feed. materials, sand, loose dry soil and many other materials.

The invention herein is not to be considered as limited to the details of construction exemplified herein as they are subject to modification within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a hod the combination of an open topped body having a downwardly inclined bottom with a substantially centered discharge opening, a foot on the bottom adjacent one side of said opening and forming a latch keeper, a discharge door hinged exteriorly on said bottom adjacent the opposite side of said opening, an upwardly and outwardly inclined flange surrounding the door and adapted for complementary nesting on the exterior of said bottom surrounding the aperture, a latch member pivoted adjacent the free edge of said door and engageable in the keeper on said foot to retain the door in closed and dust tight relation on said bottom, a plate on said latch disposed substantially beneath the central area of the door and movable toward and. away from the door for actuating the latch relative to said keeper, means yieldably urging the plate away from the door and tending 'to retain the latch in operative engagement with the keeper, and a pair of foot members on the door for sustaining the hod on a plane surface and precluding movement of the plate toward the door by such surface.

2. In a hod structure the combination of an open topped container body, a bail for carrying said body, a bottom'on said body inclined downwardly and centerward and having a central discharge opening therewith, a latch keeper on said bottom adjacent one side of the opening, a door having a peripheral flange upwardly inclined for complementary nested seating on the exterior of the bottom surrounding said discharge opening, means hingedly connecting said flange at one side of the door with the exterior of said bottom adjacent the side of the discharge opening relatively opposite said latch keeper, means secured to and extending across and beyond the bottom of said *5 door and forming a hand grip at one end thereof adjacent the hinged side of the door, a latch member pivoted to said means and releasably engageable in said keeper, a plate on said member for movement toward said door for shifting the latch member to latch releasing position and a spring yieldingly resisting movement of the latch member from its latching position.

3. In a device of the class described the combination of a body having a bottom discharge opening, a door for said opening hinged to the body at one side of the opening, a support foot on the body disposed adjacent the opposite side of said opening and arranged and adapted intermediate its ends as a latch keeper, a rigid member secured across the bottom face of the door and providing, at one end thereof, an outwardly extending handle grip and a downwardly projecting pair of feet on the door adjacent its hingedly mounted side, an L-shaped latch member pivotally suspended at one end thereof on the opposite end of said rigid member and presenting a latch nose engageable with the keeper on the support foot, spring means yieldably urging said latch member about its pivotal mounting, and a plate on the free end of the latch member and disposed in spaced relation below the door and adapted to move the latch member to door-releasing position as it is lowered with the had onto an elevated object passing between the aforementioned feet.

THOMAS \V. LEE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 280,185 Johnston June 26, 1883 524,764 Krieger Aug. 11, 1894 991,321 Kerr May 2, 1911 1,258,890 Godfrey Mar. 12, 1918 1,772,777 Macy Aug. 12, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 466,924 Germany Oct. 13, 1928 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,512,344 June 20, 1950 THOMAS W. LEE

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of theabove numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 4, line 66, for the Word therewith read therein;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read With this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 12th day of September, A. D. 1950,

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

